Being grateful and positive seems to be commonplace for many, yet, somehow, it takes a backseat to the day-to-day life stressors.  That is because we don’t train ourselves to make it a habit to be thankful every day.  We tend to be positive based on our mood and our situation at that moment.  Being thankful is not part of our daily existence, it is something we have to work on and some days it is much more challenging than others.  It’s encouraging to see the “grateful” challenges I see on social media especially Facebook during the month of November.  Individuals…

Last week I encouraged you to consider a service project and giving back this holiday season.  Today, I would like to share with you what it is like to be on the receiving end of a generous act.  Growing up in Iraq, my family wasn’t always poor.  Prior to the Gulf war, and even the Iran-Iraq war, we had a good life.  We lived in a large house with seven bedrooms, our dinner table never lacked food, and we even had a small car, a Volkswagen Beetle, which was an absolute luxury and most could only dream of.  But after…

The holiday season is upon us, in less than three weeks, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving, and shortly after, it’s presents time and Christmas.  It baffles me how quickly this year has passed us by and now we are discussing the logistics of the upcoming holiday season.  Most of us know the holiday season is not only about family time, the delicious food, and the presents, but it’s also about giving back to those less fortunate.  Since having my daughters, my husband and I have made a conscious decision to do a Christmas project or two as a family.  And…